NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world largest aircraft carrier, returned home to Virginia on Saturday after an 11-month deployment, the longest since the Vietnam War, that saw it support the U.S. war with Iran and the capture of Nicolás Maduro when he was Venezuela’s president.

The most advanced U.S. warship and two accompanying destroyers docked at Naval Station Norfolk with about 5,000 sailors waiting to see their families for the first time since June. Besides combat operations and traversing continents, the sailors aboard the carrier faced a noncombat-related fire that left hundreds without places to sleep and forced lengthy repairs on the Greek island of Crete.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was on hand for the arrival of the warships, which included the destroyer USS Bainbridge.

Hegseth commended the crew of the Bainbridge for a “job well done.”

“You didn’t just accomplish a mission, you made history,” Hegseth said on the destroyer’s deck. “You made a nation proud.”

Hegseth also spoke to the crews of the USS Mahan, a destroyer, and the Ford.

The Ford’s 326 days at sea are the most for an aircraft carrier in the past 50 years and broke the record for the longest post-Vietnam War deployment, according to U.S. Naval Institute News, a news outlet run by the U.S. Naval Institute, a nonprofit organization. The only longer deployments were the 1973 deployment of USS Midway at 332 days and the 1965 deployment of USS Coral Sea at 329 days.

The Ford’s long time at sea has raised questions about the impact on service members who are away from home for long periods as well as about increasing strain on the ship and its equipment beyond the fire, which started in one of the carrier’s laundry spaces.

When the Ford first left Virginia’s coast in June, it headed to the Mediterranean Sea. It was then rerouted to the Caribbean Sea in October as part of the largest naval buildup in the region in generations.

The carrier took part in the military operation in January to capture Maduro. Then it would see more battle, heading toward the Middle East as tensions with Iran escalated. The Ford participated in the opening days of the Iran war from the Mediterranean Sea before going through the Suez Canal and heading into the Red Sea in early March.

Technically, the crew of the USS Nimitz was on duty and away from home for a total of 341 days in 2020 and 2021. However, that included extended isolation periods ashore in the U.S. meant to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

___

Associated Press writers Ben Finley and Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed to this report.

The event will include both historic aircraft and vehicles, including famous cars featured in films

A museum that is easy to reach from Cambridgeshire has announced a new air show featuring both historic aircraft and vintage cars. The Wings & Wheels Air Show, which will be take place on Saturday, May 30, is a brand new event for 2026.

The event will feature a new arena with a range of vintage vehicles and more modern cars for people to see. You will be able to take a photo with some famous cars from films such as Jurassic Park and Back to the Future as well as watch a BMX stunt show.

There will also be a range of 70 vehicles on display including supercars and tuk-tuks. If motorcycles are more your thing, there is a display “celebrating the evolution of motorcycles across seven decades” with e-racing and motion simulators for people to test out.

As well as plenty of cars and motorbikes, there will be a flying show packed with lots of historic aircraft. The only jet powered Pitts in existence will perform aerobatics alongside two Grumman Wildcats and the popular Spitfire and Hurricane.

Four de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunks will fly in formation including the Royal Chipmunk that was used by King Charles III when he was learning to fly. To celebrate 80 years of the Chipmunk aircraft, three different nations who operated the plane will be represented in the performance: the Canadian, Portuguese, and British Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.

During the day, there are lots of other activities aside from the flying displays. You can take a vintage bus to Shuttleworth House to find out more about its history or visit the Clayton and Shuttleworth Heritage Team to learn more about working historic machinery.

For children, there will be a STEM-focused Discovery Zone with different activities to get involved in. There is also a free fun fair with a climbing wall and trampolines that will keep kids occupied before the flying displays.

Marc Boult, Head of Visitor Operations at Shuttleworth, commented: “Shuttleworth only exists today thanks to the engineering and racing spirit of our Collection founder, Richard Shuttleworth. Known as ‘Mad Jack’ for his speedy driving, and always the first to tinker with something or to chase the latest developments in technology, there is no better way to bring his legacy to a new generation than with an air show that promises to deliver vehicles and aircraft in equal measure.”

Shuttleworth is a 43-minute drive away from Cambridge via the A603. There is a car park on the site that visitors can use for free.

Tickets for the Wings & Wheels show cost £44 for adults with children under 18 being able to get a ticket for free. Tickets can be bought from the Shuttleworth website.

A frontrunner to play James Bond has been spotted wearing a dazzling bit of bling after ‘secretly’ tying the knot this week.

With the search still underway for the next 007, all eyes are on the five actors believed to be at the top of the list.

This includes 29-year-old Harris Dickinson, of Babygirl and Triangle of Sadness Fame.

As well as starring as John Lennon in Sam Mendes’ upcoming series of Beatles biopics, he’s heavily rumoured to be in the running to embody the next Bond.

And while Harris might not have scored the license to kill just yet, he’s finalised another important bit of paperwork – a marriage license, that is.

Harris showed up at Cannes Film Festival this weekend wearing a ring on his left hand – days after reportedly marrying singer girlfriend Rose Gray.

According to a source for The Sun, Harris and Rose, also 29, tied the knot at Islington Hall on Wednesday.

A source told the tabloid: ‘Harris and Rose’s ceremony was very Harris and Rose: cool, calm, low-key and full of love.

‘They’re not at all showy despite being one of the hottest couples in town who get invited to all the best parties in town. This was for them and no-one else.’

Subsequently spotted arriving at Nice airport in France for Cannes Film Festival, he was dressed in casual clothes – a hoodie and jeans – save for the shiny gold band on his wedding ring finger.

He and Rose are childhood sweethearts who met at school, both rising to fame in their chosen careers.

She first began releasing music in 2019, before dropping her debut studio album, Louder, Please in 2025.

In 2019 and 2023, Harris directed the music videos for her songs Blue and Afraid of Nothing, respectively.

The pair are believed to live together in central London, although they’ve kept their relationship relatively low profile until now.

Of their busy schedules, Rose told People last year: ‘I think traveling a lot and not always being together has been really powerful.

‘But yeah, it’s been a ride. I think distance really makes the heart grow fonder. I don’t care, I know that’s classic, but it does. It really works. And just having your own thing.’

He’s similarly supportive of her career, telling Vogue in November: ‘I love gassing her up. I’m her number one fan. When I see Rose up there doing her thing, I’m just in awe of it, really.’

Should Harris score the rumoured Bond gig, then he’s likely to be shot to stratospheric new heights.

Responding to rumours of his potential casting, Harris said: The role of James Bond is interesting. The circumstances of Bond are interesting. The character, the world, what he goes through, that’s interesting.’

When asked by Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast if he’d be interested, he said: ‘Of course, in practicality.’

He also told Total Film that he’d have to be a ‘fool’ not to consider the role, should it come his way.

He said: ‘I’m loving seeing the development of James Bond and seeing how it changes over the years.

‘I think Daniel Craig was such a good Bond that I’d almost be quite frightened to try.’

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‘Who knows what they’re doing with Bond? I’m intrigued,’ he added.

Fresh odds provided to Metro by Ladbrokes put Dickinson at 7/1, behind Wuthering Heights star Jacob Elordi (4/1), Eternity’s Callum Turner (4/5)and Kick-Ass’ Aaron-Taylor Johnson at 7/1,

Rounding out the top five is A Thousand Blows’ James Nelson-Joyce.

Said Alex Apati of Ladbrokes: ‘While dozens have headed the betting to replace Daniel Craig over the years, with an announcement hopefully coming in the near future, the latest odds suggest it’s currently Callum Turner’s gig to lose.’

With the next Bond still to be decided, speculation is at an all-time high as two who else might be involved in the latest franchise entry.

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One expert has predicted that Peaky Blinders scribe Steven Knight might pen a ‘darker, more mature’ screenplay, with Dua Lipa also considered to be a candidate to develop the next theme tune.

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This year is the 70th Eurovision competition, and will take place in the Austrian capital of Vienna.

Following the two Semi-Finals earlier in the week, 20 qualifiers joined the ‘Big 4’ countries and reigning champions Austria.

This year’s Running Order was decided in the early hours following Thursday night’s Second Semi-Final (May 14).

What is the running order for the Eurovision 2026 final?

Denmark will open the show, with Austria performing last.

The UK’s entry, Look Mum No Computer, will perform his song, Eins, Zwei, Drei, 14th.

Here is the full running order for Eurovision 2026:

1. Denmark: Søren Torpegaard Lund – Før Vi Går Hjem
2. Germany: Sarah Engels – Fire
3. Israel: Noam Bettan – Michelle
4. Belgium: ESSYLA – Dancing on the Ice
5. Albania: Alis – Nân
6. Greece: Akylas – Ferto
7. Ukraine: LELÉKA – Ridnym
8. Australia: Delta Goodrem – Eclipse
9. Serbia: LAVINA – Kraj Mene
10. Malta: AIDAN – Bella
11. Czechia: Daniel Zizka – CROSSROADS
12. Bulgaria: DARA – Bangaranga
13. Croatia: LELEK – Andromeda
14. United Kingdom: LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER – Eins, Zwei, Drei
15. Monroe – Regarde!
16. Moldova: Satoshi – Viva, Moldova!
17. Finland: Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen – Liekinheitin
18. Poland: ALICJA – Pray
19. Lithuania: Lion Ceccah – Sólo Quiero Más
20. Sweden: FELICIA – My System
21. Cyprus: Antigoni – JALLA
22. Italy: Sal Da Vinci – Per Sempre Sì
23. Norway: JONAS LOVV – YA YA YA
24. Romania: Alexandra Căpitănescu – Choke Me
25. Austria: COSMÓ – Tanzschein

How to vote in Eurovision

In the UK, you can vote by phone, text or online, and you can vote up to 10 times.

As the UK is a participating country, instructions on how to vote will be on screen during the broadcast.

Voting will open just before the first song is performed and will stay open through all the performances, and for approximately 40 minutes after the last song has been performed.

Recommended reading:

What time is Eurovision tonight?

The Grand Final will be available to watch on BBC One and iPlayer tonight (Saturday, May 16).

Coverage will begin from 8pm and continue until 11.50pm.

Will you be watching Eurovision this year? Let us know in the comments.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement blames a mother it deported for her two-year-old son’s brutal death months later, even though she says she pleaded to be reunited with the boy as she was being sent back to Honduras.

Orlín Josué Hernandez Reyes, 2, died in Escambia County, Florida, in March, while in the care of his uncle, after the boy’s mother, Wendy Hernandez Reyes, was deported in January.

Officials say the child’s body showed multiple broken ribs, a transected pancreas, multiple burns, and evidence of possible sexual abuse.

After the child’s death and his uncle’s arrest on murder allegations, ICE claimed in a March press release that Reyes “abandoned” the two-year-old and “chose to leave her son here with a violent murderer who took his life.”

“How could I abandon my son, if my son was the love of my life?” Wendy Hernandez Reyes told The Washington Post. “I did everything with my son. I am not a bad mother who left my child with a killer.”

The Independent has contacted ICE for comment.

Wendy Hernandez Reyes and her sister were in a car that was pulled over in early January in Alabama as she headed to her job laying concrete foundations.

The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, one of many that cooperate with federal immigration authorities under the 287(g) program, then handed her off to ICE, who detained her in Louisiana. A judge had previously ordered Reyes, an asylum-seeker who came to the U.S. in 2022, deported after she missed a hearing.

Throughout the process of her detention, Hernandez told the Post, she requested to be reunited with her son.

“I told them to help me with my boy,” Hernandez said. “I needed him.”

The Independent has contacted the sheriff’s office for comment.

She was deported less than a month after her arrest.

While Reyes was in detention in Louisiana, she left her son in the care of her brother-in-law Samuel Maldonado Erazo.

Maldonado Erazo is a heavy drinker and hit his own children with cords and wires, his daughter later testified.

In March, Maldonado Erazo called 911, saying that two-year-old Orlín had collapsed.

Authorities were skeptical of the story, given the nature of the two-year-old’s injuries.

Orlín had a swollen stomach and testicles suggesting he had been “stomped on,” medical examiner Deanna Oleske told police, according to court records obtained by the Post.

“Absolutely no toddler has ‘normal’ injuries like bruising to the back of the hand/knuckles from doing toddler stuff,” she said.

Maldonado Erazo was indicted on charges including murder in late March and has pleaded not guilty.

The Independent has contacted the Escambia County public defender’s office, which is representing him, for comment.

In March, ICE lodged an immigration detainer against him, claiming he entered the country illegally in 2021.

Community advocates are raising funds on GoFundMe for Orlín’s remains to be returned to Honduras.

Reyes claims she was deported without her passport, frustrating efforts to transfer the body.

Grace Resendez McCaffery, a Florida-based activist and owner of bilingual news site Latino Media Gulf Coast, has helped raise more than $15,000 for the effort. She told the Pensacola News Journal in March that she was aware of six children left behind in a single week after their parents were deported.

“I think we use the term separating families lightly because it’s become a common phrase,” McCaffery said, “but this is the reality of what it’s like for a child to lose their parents, and in this case, be left in the hands of a monster. They’re so vulnerable and it just doesn’t have to be this way.”

Kimchili is a great place for friends to meet up and share a meal together

South Korean food is known for being communal with eating viewed as a social activity. Lots of different side dishes and stews are usually placed at the centre of the table with everyone free to dig in, which is believed to help foster connections with friends, co-workers, and family.

If you are looking for a new place to take friends to enjoy a meal together, you might want to try out Kimchili, the latest South Korean restaurant to open in the city of Cambridge. The cosy restaurant is run by a chef who has worked with Michelin star talents and famous chefs in the past, including James Martin.

CamBites is a series that sees our reporters go around Cambridgeshire in search of the best food that doesn’t cost too much money. With its different sharing options and homely food, Kimchili might be the perfect place for a get together.

I decided to head down there and see if the food is worth spending your money on. When I arrived at Kimchili, I noticed a few of the tables were filled with families and friends enjoying a meal even though it was a Wednesday afternoon.

The menu is quite small but features a range of traditional dishes such as jeon, which is a savoury pancake, and bibimbap, which is a bowl of steamed rice topped with vegetables and meat. During the evenings, there are a few options for sharing such as the grilled pork belly BBQ set or the spicy stir-fried chicken.

I chose the jajangmyeon, which is a great comfort dish and cost £15.50. Jajangmyeon is a noodle dish that is covered in black bean sauce and topped with chopped vegetables and diced pork.

While waiting for my dish, I was served a range of different banchan that were included in the price of my meal. Banchan are little side dishes that you eat alongside your main meal and included things like cucumber kimchi, beansprouts, and black soybeans.

After a short wait, I was handed my bowl of jajangmyeon that has lathered in the dark black bean sauce and was visibly steaming. The noodles were perfectly cooked and had a light and chewy texture that made them incredibly moreish.

The noodles worked well with the black bean sauce that had a rich umami flavour and a beautifully glossy look. The vegetables added a lovely crunch to the dish and helped to enhance the taste of the sauce.

The pork topped off the dish nicely and wasn’t overcooked at all. The delicious banchan sides also went nicely with the noodles and I particularly enjoyed the kick from the spicy cucumber kimchi that helped to cleanse my palate.

While I only tried one dish from Kimchili, I feel confident in going back to the restaurant and knowing all of its options will be incredible. The focus on homely food makes it a great choice for friends wanting to meet and share some food together.

Found on King’s Street, the South Korean restaurant is a nice addition to Cambridge’s already vibrant food scene. Kimchili can be found at 10 King Street in Cambridge.

The restaurant is open for lunch from 12pm to 3pm on Tuesdays to Sundays and from 5pm to 8.30pm for dinner apart from on Fridays and Saturdays when it closes at the later time of 9.30pm.

All of our food reviews are paid for by the writer. The establishments do not know we will be reviewing their food, allowing us to make fair judgements on each place.

Available for over a year

Today, we’re looking back on a week of Keir Starmer fighting for his job as Prime Minister and leader of the Labour party.

Will Andy Burnham win his Westminster seat? What’s going on behind the scenes in Number 10? And who are the other Labour hopefuls eyeing a place in an eventual leadership race?

Adam is joined by Ailbhe Rea, Political Editor at the New Statesmen, and Sienna Rodgers, Deputy Political Editor at the House Magazine, to look at how we got here and what might happen next.

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say “Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.

You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.

New episodes released every day. If you’re in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Miranda Slade. The social producer was Beth Pritchard. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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Military enthusiasts may find it worth a day trip away from Cambridgeshire

Not too far away from Cambridge sits a former RAF base that was used by the US military during D-Day. With an impressive display of military uniforms and a nostalgic reconstruction of a US World War II airplane’s cockpit, a visit to the Boxted Airfield Museum should be on any military enthusiast’s tick-list.

Tucked away in the north-eastern Essex countryside, around 90 minutes from Cambridge, Boxted Airfield was built in 1941 and opened in 1943 when the 386th Bomb Group arrived. The medium bomber group was involved in bombing missions in support of Allied forces, destroying strategic targets, particularly in Europe.

The 386th only stayed for three months however, before being transferred to Dunmow in September 1943. The 354th Fighter Group came to Boxted in November 1943 and flew the Merlin-engined P51b Mustang.

This fighter group’s primary responsibility was to escort bombers on their missions over the continent and eventually all the way to Germany. The 354th left Boxted in March 1944 and moved to an advanced landing ground at Lashenden in Kent to prepare for D-Day.

The 56th Group, who are generally regarded as being the top-scoring US fighter group of the Second World War, arrived at Boxted in April 1944. The 56th took part in all the major air battles during their stay at Boxted, including D-Day and the battle of the Bulge.

They gained the nickname Wolfpack because of the number of high scoring pilots in the unit. Throughout their time in combat the group flew the P47 Thunderbolt, the heaviest fighter in WW2.

The role of the group was escorting the bombers over enemy territory. As the war in Europe came to an end and with the Luftwaffe virtually defeated, the Wolfpack would attack ground targets.

The 56th Group stayed at Boxted until the end of the war in Europe, returning home by the end of October 1945. The airfield was then handed to the British RAF before closing in late 1947.

Anyone with an interest in the war or military history should consider a trip to the Boxted Airfield Museum. It is home to a collection of uniforms, including the uniform of Captain Jack Norton who served at Boxted as a Signals Officer attached to the 354th. There is also an impressive recreation of a B26 Marauder aircraft cockpit, incorporating artefacts from the museum’s collection and loaned items from Marauder enthusiasts.

The museum is next open on May 31 between 10am and 4pm. It is open on the last Sunday of every month until October. There is a suggested admission donation of £5 per adult with accompanied children free.

ITV has dropped a brand new Love Island teaser for the upcoming summer series hosted by Maya Jama

Love Island enthusiasts are all posing the same query after ITV unveiled an exciting new teaser ahead of the summer series.

The beloved ITV2 dating phenomenon is set to grace our screens once again in just a few weeks for its 13th instalment, featuring a fresh batch of singletons hunting for romance alongside a huge cash prize.

Maya Jama is back as host, ready to oversee all the villa action once more. Jetting off to the stunning Mallorca, the summer series promises a whirlwind of twists, turns and bombshell entries, guaranteeing unmissable moments and heaps of drama.

ITV dropped a tantalising 30-second teaser today (May 16) for the forthcoming series, sending fans into a frenzy of anticipation.

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In the preview, Iain Stirling can be heard declaring: “Get ready for the hottest competition of the summer, Love Island 2026.”, reports OK!.

Maya Jama comments: “We’ve got a squad of worldies and a bench full of bombshells. Giving more firepit drama, deeper post match analysis and spicier Villa Action Reviews.” She goes on to proclaim: “Love Island, it’s all kicking off.”

This year’s Love Island will run alongside the World Cup, with the show fully leaning into the sporting spectacle, as evidenced by the teaser featuring roaring crowds in the background.

The teaser has been circulating on social media and is set to broadcast this evening, prompting fans to pose the same burning question.

With no official launch date confirmed yet, one viewer asked on Instagram: “When does this start”, while another queried: “Okay but when???” A third replied: “If know one tells me when it’s on I MIGHT START KICKING OFF.”

A fourth demanded: “WHEN???”, while a fifth questioned: “When is it starting????” Nevertheless, reports suggest Love Island is anticipated to launch around June 1, with the World Cup getting underway approximately June 10.

Anticipation is mounting for the upcoming series, with one enthusiast declaring: “They really said, Euro summer in Love Island!!”, another remarking: “Nights sorted yes please.”

A third pleaded: “Yall better bring IT this summer!!!”

Since its debut in 2015, Love Island has established itself as Britain’s most-watched dating programme, with ITV promising: “With unexpected arrivals, shifting loyalties, and sparks flying, the new series promises even more unforgettable moments, unmissable messiness, and plenty of romance.”

Love Island returns this summer on ITV2 and ITVX

The report also recognised that children have “close relationships with their key person”

A nursery in Cambridgeshire has been told it ‘needs attention’ by Ofsted. Cozee Cubs Nursery and Sensory, in Werrington, Peterborough, has been told it needs to improve in three areas.

These include achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; and curriculum and teaching.

The report, which was published on Tuesday, May 12, said that some children “are not consistently achieving well from their starting points”. The report also recognised that children “settle quickly and are generally happy”, and have “close relationships with their key person”.

Safeguarding standards were met. Children’s welfare and wellbeing as well as leadership and governance were graded at ‘expected standard’.

The report found that younger children in particular “do not always progress quickly in developing some of the essential skills they will need, such as their communication skills and understanding of behaviour expectations”. As a result, the inspection found that this “does not ensure that all children are well prepared for the next stage of their learning”.

The report continued: “Some staff do not demonstrate high expectations for children’s behaviour or use consistent approaches to help children to begin to understand what is expected of them. Staff often try and manage young children’s behaviour from across the room and give little explanation as to why the behaviour may be unwanted.”

Therefore, the report found that this “does not help children, including those who face barriers to their learning, to understand and regulate their own behaviour or understand the consequences for their actions”.

The report continued: “Routines are in place and are generally understood by older children. However, there is a lack of organisation and reinforcement of behaviour expectations during some routine group times, such as lunchtime with the younger children. This results in children quickly leaving the table and wandering around.”

Occasionally, as identified by inspectors, “some staff are not good role models as they do not reinforce manners at appropriate times or use good manners themselves”.

Ofsted praised the staff for warmly greeting children on arrival and providing “nurturing care they need to help them feel safe and secure”. The report also states: “Children are generally confident and explore the activities and experiences on offer.”

Cozee Cubs was approached for comment.